Life Skills - Professionalism

When asking high school students what they would like to work on, they always expressed the need to be taught necessary life skills. One of them is professionalism in college and the workplace.

Professionalism in my own words would be the way we conduct ourselves , the way we treat others and our work ethic. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition is "exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace"

You might be asking, how can I practice professionalism if I just started college? Well, College allows students to prepare for the workforce and master professionalism. Some examples of how college prepares you for professionalism are:

1. Being on time to class

2. Communication with your professors especially through email

3. Dressing up when it comes time to do so especially for special events like career fairs

4. working with students from different backgrounds

You may ask yourself, why is professionalism even important? Professionalism is needed in the workplace in order to maintain a high standard of behaviors and ethics. It allows people from different backgrounds to come together and work as one.

Here are some tips on mastering professionalism:

1. Respecting your colleagues and co-workers even if you don't agree with them

2. Being productive with your time when you need to be

3. Communicating in a effective matter

4. Willingness to always learn and grow